High Court Acquits Andre Arthurs in Fatal Belize City Shooting

Twenty-eight-year-old Andre Arthurs is free tonight after the High Court acquitted him of the March 2025 murder of Mark Usher Jr. in Belize City. Usher, thirty-three, was shot and killed at the corner of Jabiru Street and Faber’s Road. Arthurs, a construction worker from the Faber’s Road area, had been accused of carrying out the deadly shooting. But Justice Nigel Pilgrim ruled that the prosecution’s case fell short, mainly because of questions over identification. The Crown relied heavily on the testimony of Interdiction Police Officer Lawrence Martinez, who said he saw a man in a blue shirt riding away on a bicycle shortly after the shooting. Martinez later identified Arthurs during a group identification procedure. Justice Pilgrim said that while Martinez appeared credible, the identification process was not reliable enough. The court heard no evidence that the other men in the group resembled Arthurs in height, complexion, age, or appearance. The judge said those gaps left too many unanswered questions. The court also noted that police did not swab Arthurs’ hands for gunshot residue and presented no DNA evidence, no firearm, no search warrant for the alleged blue shirt, and no clear evidence about what happened to the bicycle the suspect reportedly abandoned. Justice Pilgrim said the Crown had a duty to prove that Martinez’s identification was reliable. Without that, the court could not be sure that Arthurs was the shooter. Arthurs denied any involvement. He told the court he was at home barbecuing with friends when the gunshots rang out. With no other matters before the court, Arthurs walked out a free man as relatives waited outside. Usher’s mother was also present in court but left shortly after the not guilty verdict. Arthurs was represented by attorney Simeon Sampson.

 

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